The Guitarist's Journal
by King of Simcoe
Summary: Re-releasing this story as an effort to get back into the story.  Now with dividers to make it slightly easier to tell when it jumps from group to group.  Review if you like it, and give me ideas if you have any.  Enjoy
1. The Beginning And the End

Well Guys, I chose to re-release this from the beginning because I think I needed to do it so I would get back into Writing.  
>I have also added notifications for which group it is that is currently being portrayed. I am also taking any and all suggestions, character ideas, or even co-writers.<p>AJ Dawson sat on the edge of the apartment bulding, staring down at the horde that was pushing it's way into the building. Past the abandoned barricades, and through the shattered doors. With his guitar in his hands, and his rifle at his side, he seemed almost serene to the others who were on the roof with him, crying, praying, all of them doing something. AJ only played, he played songs of the past, some newer songs, and some he written himself. He felt the others eyes on him as he played, but he only stopped inbetween songs, or to remind himself of how a certain part went.<p>

He played for nearly an hour, untill he heard the smashing againts the door, and the moans of hunger from behind the door drowning out everything else. He let a smile come across his face as he turned and put his guitar and a book in the guitar case. Closing it, he knelt, picked up his rifle, and moved through the small crowd of his fellow survivors to the front of the semicircle that was made unconciously in front of the door.

"When they break through, open up on them.", he heard someone yell over the sound of the horde, "If and when they get through the field of fire, take as many of them as you can with you. And may God be with us all."

AJ was not a religious person, but he prayed then. He asked for forgiveness of the horrible things he had done in the past year, and that he won't be judged on them because they were neccesary. He prayed untill the door started to buckle under the force that the horde was using. He checked the cartridge on his rifle, and the extra's in his pouch, and finally, the handgun that he had kept since all of this started, making sure he was ready for the horde, and ready for the inevitable death that would come. Taking a knee and raising his rifle, he pointed it towards the door, hearing those around him do the same.

Hearing a familiar cough, he turned and saw his friend Andrew, the only friend from his past to stay with him, kneeling beside him. Not saying anything, they hugged, saying that they were there for each other. They turned back to the door, and when it was forced out of the frame, all AJ heard was the sounds of gunfire, and all he saw was blood, body parts, and the odd explosion from grenades and molotov cocktails.

For a few minutes, the slaughter in the doorway stayed just that, untill the horde pushed through the fire, and dove into the crowd. When he was tackled, he saw the change of hands, and when he felt the jaws clamp into his neck, he saw everything. His mind flared, and in his last seconds of life, he relived his past. The good times, the horrible times, and, the most prominent of all of his memories, the last year. Even though he was weak and getting weaker by the minute, he was able to move his arm down, pull out his handgun, and bring it to his head.

"What a way to go", he said.

And then he pulled the trigger, and then it was done.

Two days later, a flight of helicopters came over the city, looking for survivors. They came across the apartment building, and saw the carnage that had come from the aftermath of the battle. Dozens of dead bodies littered the roof. Guns, discarded clips, gernade fragments, body parts, and many other pieces of evidence. Passing by it, something caught a pilot's eye, and he went closer, and seen the oddest thing to see.

He saw a guitar case, untouched by the bloody battle that had gone on.

Moving above the building, he directed one of his guards to propel down to grab the case.

"How the fuck did this thing get through that mess?" The guard said when he got back into the chopper.

"No idea," the pilot replied, pulling back into the flight. "But I have a feeling that there's something good or important in there."

"Who knows." said the guard, "But we're gonna have to wait till we get back to base to check it out."

'Who the fuck do you think you are, pulling out of formation like that! I ought to take your hide!"

Hearing the voice coming from the radio, the pilot known he was gonna be eaten out good when he got back to base, but at least he had something to look forward too.

When they were back at the base, the pilot did get eaten out. For two hours, his commanding officer tore into him, screaming himself hoarse, untill he waved him out, saying that if he done anything like that again, he'd be fed to the zombies.

Oh well, he thought as he walked to the barracks, I guess I just gotta be quicker when I do it next time.

"Hey Dan, wait up."

Dan, the pilot, turned and saw the guard from earlier.

"Hey, Sam right?"

"Yah.", Sam looked around, making sure no one was close," So, did you open the guitar case yet?"

"No, not yet. Why are you asking?"

"It's killing me that I have no idea what's in it."

Dan nodded,"Yah, it's killing me too."

"So when are you going to open it?"

"Tonight. If you wanna see, meet me at the hanger at 2100."

"Gotcha.", he looked around again, trying to make sure no one heard." I'll see you there."

"See you there."

At that they turned and walked their seperate ways, not knowing that someone had heard them, 


	2. Discoveries and Escapes

The Military troup

Dan was nervous and impatient as he stared at the clock, with the weight of the case on his lap, waiting for the red glowing numbers to show 9:00 PM, or 2100. He thought back on his meeting with Sam, and the unspoken promise that he wouldn't open the case without the other man being there. He known he would stick by it then, and he knows that he will now.

Looking at the clock again, he saw that it was quarter to, so he got off his bunk and crept out of the pilot's barracks.  
>Looking around, he didn't see anyone, and thankfully the guards at the bases walls were busy keeping the amount of zombies down so the fence wasn't breached. He walked through the base and about five minutes later, made it to the hanger. Making sure no one saw him, he crept inside and grabbed a seat on a barrel near his chopper.<p>

Hearing a thump and a curse, he looked around and saw Sam holding his knee near a table. He waved his friend over, and with Sam sitting on a chair he grabbed, Dave put the case on his lap.

"So, what do you think is in it?", Sam asked, still holding his knee.

"Well, probably a guitar.", Dave replied, with a smirk on his face.

"Well no shit, but I mean what else? Someone lent it againts the ledge, as far away from the action as it could go without tossing it off the building."

"I've got no idea, but I guess we're about to find out."

"Yes, we are."

Looking around, Sam and Dave seen their new company.

"Jill, what the FUCK are you doing here?" Sam said, pissed but keeping his voice down.

"Well," Jill said, "I overheard you two talking today after the run, and you peaked my curiousity."

She looked at the case with eager eyes.

"So you gonna open it or what?"

Still looking sortof shocked from Jill's sudden appearance, Dave nodded and put his hands on the clasps for the case.

"Before I open this, I'm thinking we need to swear to keep it a secret as long as possible, whatever it is."

Looking at each other, then to him, his companions nodded, and Dave opened the guitar case. With his mouth hanging open, he lifted out the guitar. It was beautifully crafted, obviously one of a kind, and there was the signatures of course. On much of the guitar, there were signatures of all sizes, and reading some, Dave realized that this guitar was probably the last piece of the people from the apartment building earlier that day.

"Will you look at that." Jill said, in awe."It's so finely made, and what's that written on there?"

Handing the guitar to her, he looked down in the case and then he saw it. He brought the book out of the case, barely even noticing Sam's request for the case, which he closed and handed to him without even looking, and turned the book in his hand.  
>It was one of those journal books that had become popular after the first few months of the zombie plauge, people had just figured that if they didn't write their stories down, no one would ever know them.<p>

Looking at the cover, he only saw the words, 'Property of', and a blank space where the name was supposed to go. He heard one of the others say something, but he didn't show any sign of hearing them. He undid the clasp on the side, and carefully opened the journal. The first page was lined in golden filigry, and there were a few sentances written in it. He was about to start reading it when he was punched in the arm.

"Earth to Dave, are you reading us?, Sam said, with a large grin on his face.

"So you gonna read us whatever caught your attention there?", Jill asked.

"Yeah, sure. There ain't much here, but I'll bet it's a note from the guy who owned this."

Looking back down at the book, he read the first page.

'If you are reading this, then I am dead, probably by my own gun. I started writing this a month after the outbreak, so that my story would be known, and that I could get things I've done off of my chest, knowing that someone will know them someday.  
>I hope that you don't judge me for the bad things I've done, because they were of neccesity. When you are done with this, please share it with others, so that they will know, and so they know that not all hope is lost in cases of mass destruction like this.'<p>

The three just stayed silent for several moments, untill Dave turned the page.

"I might as well keep reading, cause we don't need to go untill 0100.", Dave said, with the other two nodding assent.

Dave looked down at the page and saw it was filled with writing. He grinned and looked up.

"Well, at least we'll be kept busy untill 0100.", he said.

'I was once a student at Barrie Central Collegiate, untill the outbreak...'

AJ and Company

AJ Dawson ran through the school, trying to find a spot where he and his friends could get out. For ten minutes, the school had been under siege, from the inside and out. For some reason, people had turned into blood thirsty monsters. He heard a scream from behind him, and he known that the group of 11 had just dropped to 10. Only 11 people had escaped the presentation in the library, everyone else was either being eaten or doing the eating.

"Come on," AJ screamed, seeing the gym doors, "We can get out the Gym!"

Opening the doors for the group, which had just dropped to 9, he slammed it shut in the faces of the pack that had been following them. Not knowing how long the door would last, AJ ran the storage room and grabbed a baseball bat, the others following his lead.

"So what now fearless leader?", he heard a girl say.

He turned and groaned, because this girl was the biggest complainer he known.

"Well?", Kim Sanders said," You said we could get out through here?"

Remembering the door leading to the parking lot, AJ ran over and opened it just enough so he could look out. Not seeing or hearing anything close, he opened the door wider, and with nothing happening, he stepped out and gestured for the others to follow him. Leading the group outside, he saw that all the action was going on downtown, he lead them the opposite way. They walked for about fifteen minutes, stopping behind a house enclosed by a fence.

"So where now?", Kim asked

AJ groaned inwardly when he said it, "I have no idea."

"What the hell do you mean you have no idea?" Kim nearly screeched at him."Your the one who led us out here and now you have no kind of plan? What the fuck were you thinking?"

"He was trying to save our asses you stupid bitch.", Andrew Turcotte said, "Or would you have rather stayed in the library and gotten your guts ripped out?"

Finally shutting up, Kim walked over the others and struck up a conversation. AJ was glad that Andrew had come to his rescue there, because the harpy probably would have drawn some attention. He was also glad that he had made it out of the library, mostly because Andrew is the kind of guy you can alwayse depend on.

"She does have a point you know."

"Pardon?"

AJ was shocked at that. The only time Kim had made a point had been when she had filed her fingernails to sharp points and tried to take out a girls eyes.

"Kim, she has a point. We have to figure out what we do next."

"I know," AJ said, sighing, "I guess the first thing we should do it find a more permenant place to hide out, then we can figure it out from there."

AJ and Andrew walked over to the others and told them the plan. And then there was the arguments about where to go. It gone on for several minutes until.

"I know where we can go."

Everyone turned and looked at the guy sitting in a tree.

"First off, why the hell are you sitting in a tree?," Kim said, not willing to back down, "second, who are you that we should be listening to you?"

"To answer your first question, I'm keeping watch." the boy looked at something and climbed down the tree, "and to answer the second is that my place is pretty close, it has a sturdy fence, and," he stopped to listen for a second, "there's a pack of those things coming this way."

Everyone was scared then, and everyone was gripping their weapons tightly. Kim looked like she had just swallowed a bug, and the guy had climbed back up into the tree to keep an eye on things.

"I think we should follow his lead." AJ heard Andrew say from beside him.

"And I think we should get break in this house and then stay quiet." Kim said, still trying to be the boss.

"And I think you should just shut up and stop trying to get your way!"

"Then maybe you should stop trying to boss us around!"

"We're trying to keep everyone here alive!"

Back and forth the two were going, getting in each others faces, obviously coming close to blows.

"Will you idiot's shut the fuck up so we can get out of here?"

Looking over, AJ saw the guy, who he know recognized as Kris Watts, a loner kid, had gotten back out of the tree.

"We need to get out of here now, because they're only like a minute away, and if you fucken geniuses don't shut up you'll get some of us killed." Kris said, looking annoyed, as though he was inconviencing himself by being there.

"Well, I still think that we should get in this house here.", Kim said, sounding snootier every second.

"And I think you should shut up before I kill you myself and save them the trouble." Kris returned.

AJ wasn't sure if the guy meant it, but it shut up Kim. The others had moved closer and everyone was around Kris, willing to follow his lead.

"Ok then, I guess we'll be following you." he said

"Allright then," Kris said, he looked around, and then started moving, "This way."

He had moved up to the fence, facing down a hill. Hopping over it, he started down the hill. AJ was the last to follow him, keeping his eyes open for any of the creatures. Kris kept going when he got to the bottom of the hill, moving up to the road,  
>with everyone else having to speed up to stay close. They smelled the blood before they heard the moans and saw the creatures. About a dozen of them were racing at them from a side street. Kris booked it, still leading them, and all AJ saw was him, and the people in front of him. Looking behind, he saw the things were at his heels. One was about to grab his by the back of the head when a rock sent it tumbling back into it's friends.<p>

"THIS WAY!"

Looking ahead, he saw Kris holding open a gate and gesturing everyone inside. AJ felt the breath on his back as he ran into the yard, and the gate barely missed him as it slammed shut. The creatures were pounding on the gate and fence, trying to get in, but as Kris said before, the fence was sturdy.

AJ walked up to the door, where everyone was gathered, and Kris brought out a key.

"Everyone, welcome to your new home for the next few days." He said as he unlocked the door and led the group inside. 


	3. Revelations and Danger

AJ and Company

"Stuart, make sure to make the rations even. Julie, I want EVERY air-tight container filled with water. Andrew, Kim, what's the story from the net?"

AJ was amazed at how fast Kris had gotten everyone organized, and more importantly, aside from Andrew and Kim, keeping everyone busy, and hopefully keeping their minds off of what had, and is still, happening.

"Well, if this little boy would move..."

"Who the fuck are you calling a little boy? Why don't you stop grabbing the mouse every few seconds so I can.."

"Do WHAT exactly? Keep up on your Facebook? Go on hotmail and see if someone wants to chat in the middle of the apocalypse?"

Clearing his throat, Kris moved behind them and put an arm around each ones shoulder and started whispering something in their ears. From their expression, it looked like his previous threat wouldn't be too far from reality if they didn't learn to work together. AJ chuckled to himself as he helped Stuart Benson, a Grade 9 who looked like he was ready to start puking.. again, ration what food they had there, to try to make it last. After talking to the two on the computer, he moved past AJ and Stuart, given Julie Chou, another Grade 9, and another girl I've never met, who calls herself Theresa, some pointers on how to fill the plastic containers and bottles effectively with water, then went outside to help Greg and Tim McIssacs, a pair of twins who apparantly do everything together, loot the sheds for weapon and break up furniture to use as barricades for the front windows.

"Ss., hh..how long 're rescued?" Stuart asked me for at least the tenth time. It was frustrating for him, trying to keep busy, while trying to make sure he didn't snap like some of the people in the library did.. which ended up killing them, and a few others.

Turning to him, AJ gave Stuart a look that told him to shut up and get back to work, and surprisingly enough, he did.

It went like this for another ten minutes or so, until he grudgingly answered.

"I'm sure they'll clear out those... things and start looking for survivors soon enough."

He smiled, again for at least the tenth time, and got a 'Thanks' out before getting back to work.

"Hey AJ, could you come over here for a second? I need to talk to you."

Getting up and looking towards the door, AJ saw Kris standing there, with a strange look on his face.

"Uhh, sure. Hey Stuart, I'll be right back."

He managed a nod before turning his head down and concentrating on the work.

Walking over to him, Kris was motioning down into the basement, where so far no one has gone, except for when he went to grab a few hammers and went first, and Kris followed him down, telling him to turn into a door immediatly on the left.

Seeing a bed, AJ sat down and tried to get comfortable, waiting for Kris to say something, which looked like what the other boy was doing, while leaning against the now closed door.

An uneasy silence lasted for a few minutes, until AJ finally spoke.

"So what exactly do you want, that required you to drag me down here and talk to me in secret?" he demanded, trying to make Kris give something.. anything.. that might help explain how he known what he was doing with this.

"Was wondering when you were going to ask that.. And have been wondering about how exactly I would explain it to you." Kris said in a confusing tone, which just made A.J. angrier.

Getting up, grabbing ahold of Kris' shirt, and getting right in his face, AJ said one of the only serious threats he had ever said up to that point.

"Either you tell me what the fuck is going on, or I WILL make you, and you WILL be extremley sorry that you were not forthcoming with me."

And all of a sudden, Kris was a very happy person.

"This is the reaction I was hoping for. You know exactly what to do to get things done." He squirmed a little bit,"Err,could you put me down, this kinda hurts."

Letting go, AJ moved back to the bed and sat down, very confused.

Kris straightened his shirt, and rubbed his throat a little bit before starting.

"Now.. why I asked you down here... We have a small problem.."

Kris was pacing now.. AJ could see that what he was about to say was really bothering him.

"I think that Tim might have been bitten by one of those.. things. And you remember what happened to people who were bitten and died.."

AJ wish he could forget...

His friend Booker was right beside him and Andrew.. just fucking around during the presentation, when he seen someone running down the hallway with one of the creatures behind them. He didn't even know if it was a boy or a girl running away, all he remembers was Booker getting up and running for the library doors, grabbing a big hardcover as he ran. He pushed open the door, just in time to smack the creature, and send it stumbling back.  
>He ushered the person into the library, and with everyone staring, went out, smashed the thing in the face, and AJ assumed the person was bit in the neck, because Booker pulled off his shirt to cover the wound, even though there was blood squirting all over the place. The person was lead to, and collapsed into a chair, with Booker right beside them. After that, it was a blur... AJ remembered someone yelling at Booker, with a couple people running out to check on the creature that he smashed with the book, while someone was trying to help keep the wound from bleeding, and yelling for someone to call 911. Then he remembered the people outside the library screaming, as they were rushed by about a dozen of the things, and people just staring as more rushed through the doors. Booker jumped up and started hurling things at them, holding them off somewhat.. Until the person he 'saved' stood up and tore into his neck and face, biting like a rabid animal.<p>

After that.. AJ just remembers leading the way out of one of the fire exits... with a pack of them chasing after them...

"Yah... I remember.." AJ thought for a second, "If Tim doesn't die.. he might not turn into one of them, we might be fine!"

"Now you know that's stupid thinking.. We're going to need to deal with this, and soon."

"Now hold on a second, we don't even know if he's been bitten. So why shouldn't we just wait, and see if he gets sick or something?"

"I don't know.. it would probably be best if we just dealt with the situation now..."

"No, it would be best if we didn't jump the gun, so we might actually survive this."

"Fine, fine, whatever. But YOU are taking responsibility for him if anything happens, understood?"

From the look on Kris' face, AJ knew that he might do something that both AJ, and everyone else, would live to regret. So even though it was against his better judgement, he agreed.

The Military Troup

The three of them sat there for a few minutes, staring unblinkinly at the journal.

"Fuck that kid was brutal." Jill finally said.

Dan was nodding his head until Sam spoke up.

"No... not really. He just knew how to get things done."

"What the hell do you mean 'knew how to get things done'?" Kim whispered rather loudly.. which was enough for Dan to keep his eyes and ears peeled in case someone heard her.

"First off, keep your damn voice down.. Remember that if they caught us in here.. we'd be threatened with a court martial.. and you know what that means."

They all shuddered... To be court martialed meant one of two things.. either you killed yourself or you joined one of the humvee teams.. which were bait for when the zombies were chasing on-foot survivors or scavanging teams... Essentially the same thing... There was no prison, no waste of resourecs either you contributed to the base or you died, one way or another.

"Second, what I meant was that the kid somehow already had a handel on the situation, so he had a general idea of what to do."

"I guess... just he seems so... cold... for someone so early into the outbreak."

"Also remember that those kinds of people existed.. They were the ones emotionally or mentally prepared for it to happen.. either way, they often survived the longest, but they were also heavily broken. If they weren't fixed, then when they lost it, they either taken everyone with them, were abandoned, or were taken out... which often spelled a quick death for the people who did it.. because they probably weren't as efficent or capable of leading people through this."

Dan spoke up, "Considering where me and Sam found it.. the writer survived a good year.. whether this Kris person did or not is a mystery.. but I'll bet that he did.. he just seemed to be that kind of person.. a survivor."

Looking at his watch, Sam oggled at the time..

"Holy shit it's almost 2400.. We need to get going now. They'll be starting the midnight shifts soon."

"Fuck.. and I have a shift tonite." Jill said.

Jill and Sam running ahead, Dan packed up the guitar and followed them out of the hanger.. but held back when he saw what was in the yard.. what Jill and Sam barely seen before they were fighting for their lives.

Not caring for being incospicuous any more, Dan shouted at the top of his lungs, "ZOMBIES IN THE YARD, ZOMBIES IN THE YARD!"


	4. Combat, Guns, and Plans

The Military Troup

"ZOMBIES IN THE YARD!"

The cry went out loud and strong, and soon the alarm was going off. Dan drew his pistol, aimed and shot twice, taking out Sam and Jill's attackers.

"How the fuck did these things get in here?" Jill shouted, pulling her sidearm, with Sam following her lead.

"Who knows, but less talking, more shooting." Dan answered, firing again.

Somehow a good 30 of them were in the area, and from the gunshots and screams, there were more spread throughout the base. Dan kept shooting, sometimes missing but most of the time nailing them in the head.

"Shit I'm out"

"No worries, we got this" Sam replied.

"Yah, get to the armory and go help out." Jill said over her sholdour"

Giving them a nod, he booked it to the armory, seeing small fights all around, some being won, some being lost. But the real shock was when he got to the armory... The outside was swarming with the zeds... He seen in the windows that there were people fighting inside.

'How the hell did they get in here...' he thought to himself... just before a hand clamped on his sholdour.

Panicking, Dan grabbed the arm and flipped his attacker... which turned out to be his commanding officer... the same who eaten him out earlier.

"What the hell do you think your doing Pilot." The general grumbled as Dan helped him up.

"sorry sir.. just with the current situation I'm on edge."

"Understandable... Ah that'd be why you havn't gone to the armory yet.. no worries, I have some toys hidden around the base just in case of a situation like this." He said with a wicked smile on his face..

And then Dan seen that the general and his staff were equipped with all kinds of weaponry. He felt a gun get shoved in his hands, he looked down and saw it was an M4.

"Now men, pick your shots carefully, we want to conserve our ammo as much as possible, but we also want to get inside to help the men in there, got it?

There was a loud yes, sir from each man.

The general got that wicked smile again... "Time for us to have some fun, HAHAHAHAHA"

Not for the first time, and not for the last, Dan thought the general was bat crazy.. but extremley effective.

AJ and Company

"Ok guys, we got news."

Andrew and Kim were sitting in the kitchen, with everyone else around them.

"We asked you all to come in here because we found out a few things... It isn't good." Andrew said with a grim look on his face.

"The military has fallen back to their bases, and although rescue operations will be going strong, they expect us to get to them." Kim finished

"That isn't all..." Andrew said before anyone could speak up. "This is going on globally.. And it's worse or better in some areas."

"But that won't help us any." Kris spoke up, "We need information that will help us survive, and maybe find more people and a better place."

"We were looking for that too, and from what I can tell, our best bet to get a better fortified area with alot of survivors is Toronto." Kim answered

"There were people online saying that they had blocked off the Eaton centre except for one entrance that the zeds can't get to. Apparantly there are also alot of people hold up in grocery stores and apartment buildings." She continued

"Does anyone know who started this? Is it some kind of biological terrorist attack?" Tim Murray asked.

AJ looked at him really for the first time that this had all started. He hadn't known Tim that well, but he was big, he was strong, and he was a grade 11.  
>Beyond that he didn't know much about him.. and that worried him, especially if Kris was right about him being bitten.<p>

"If this is a terrorist attack.. then it's none of the known organizations, as no one has claimed it was them.. Hell, Al Queda and the Taliban are fighting with the Coalition troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.. I guess they'd rather fight with the "infidels" then get eaten alive." Andrew answered

"There is no doubt that this IS a biological attack.. but whether it's by nature or by man is beyond our knowledge... The only thing we can do is survive this and try to rebuild after.

"Ok, now to the most important thing I asked you to find.." Kris said, "Did you find any other survivors in town?"

Andrew and Kim shared a look, and shut up.

"Well, out with it."

Andrew spoke up,

"Well... we are aware of at least 3 groups of survivors, plus the RVH, which was fortified and has been completley cleared of the zombies.. ugh I can't get used to saying that word... But..."

"But what? We need to get a large amount of people together if we're going to take back our town and get a fortified area."

"The thing seperating us from them is the rest of the town." Kim put it bluntly.

"It's that bad huh.." Kris said with a dejected look.

"wait.. what exactly is going on?" AJ asked, with the question mirrored by everyone else there.

"Well.. you seen what happened at the library with Booker.. Now imagine that.. except the entire town. If didn't lose too much of their body to move.. then they'll be one of the zombies. And they'll be inbetween us.. and every other living person left."

"Fuck.."

"Well.. since it's that bad, time to break out the guns."

And at that.. everyone just stared at Kris..

"WHAT guns?" AJ said in an angry tone.

"The guns that my dad left behind when he left my family behind for some blond bitch who probably sold him out for some crack."

"Ah..."

"Whatever, don't pity me or whatever is going through your head, I'll bring them up to the backyard, so we can see what we got, then we can..."

A loud ping from the computer interrupted him.

"Hold up, we got a message." Kim said going over to the computer. "It's a group of survivors, and their only a couple blocks from here!"

"What does the message say?" AJ asked, happy that they might be able to help.

"It says that their holed up in a convenience store, theres 5 of them, and theres a supply truck outside. The drivers with them and this was his first stop!"

"OK people, we got our first immediate objective." Kris said loudly, taking charge.

"We need to rescue those people and secure that truck, chances are we're going to need those supplies."

"One problem boss, they say theres a large pack of those things wandering around in front of the store. Apparantly some dumbass tried to loot the beer store across the street and got more then he could handle.. and then they brought their friends."

"No matter, we just need to get some people as bait."

"Wait what? You want some of us as bait?" AJ said, standing up and getting close to Kris, "No way that's going to happen."

They were standing there glaring at each other for a good while. AJ was sure that Kris was trying to take control of the group... and he wasn't going to let him, not since his suggestion of "taking care" of Tim.

All of a sudden Kris laughed, which shocked him.

"Well look at who finally grew a pair. We're still going through with this plan, because it's the best way to get in there and out without losing everyone."Kris said.

"Now since your so afraid of this.. I'll be the bait, Julie, Stuart, I'd like you to join me, since your rather fast."

Just gaping, Stuart didn't say anything, Julie Chou, another grade 9, and a member of the track team, nodded, and with a smirk said,

"No way those things will catch me. And Stuart's coming too."

He glared at her, then looked around, gulped, and nodded.

Kris smiled, and asked for AJ, Andrew, Tim, after a hesitating second, and a girl named Theresa Damian, a grade 12 who came back another year, to come with him downstairs.

"You 4 I'm going to let you pick out your weapons first, since you'll be going in if the bait works."

He lead them to the basement, then to what looked like a rec room. Kris went to the cupboards on the far wall, and opened them up. What AJ saw could only be described as a small armory. There were about twenty guns there, on display like they were in a museum.

"The old man was somewhat of a gun nut, and he had friends in the police, so he could get the permits for them rather easily. Thankfully he also kept the alot of ammo stocked too, because he taken me to the range quite abit.. mostly for an excuse to shoot the guns then to spend time with me. You'll have to get used to shooting these pretty fast, also don't be stupid with them, because this ain't a video game, you shoot someone by accident, chances are they die.

Tim went up first and grabbed a shotgun, "Thats a Remington 1100, a pretty good gun, although I suggest you mostly keep to covering everyone else from rushing zombies."

Tim just nodded, and aimed the gun, smiling and giving a thumbs up.

"If you don't know already, I'll show you how to load and fire before we go out.

Andrew and AJ just stared at the guns.. not knowing what to think. Theresa went up after a few moments and grabbed what looked like a hunting rifle.

"Ah, thats the..."

"M1903 Springfield, formally known as the United States Rifle, Caliber .30, Model 1903. Used during WW1 as the mainstay of the army, then used as a sniper in WW2. I'm assuming yah got a box of bandoliers for this?" Theresa said, all of a sudden completley business, and seemingly in her element.

"I've got 5. I'm assuming your a marksman?"

"Very good, and I've been on an independant team for coming on 7 years now."

"Then you know what to do. If need be, I have a bayonet for it as well."

"That would be very helpful."

Kris turned to Andrew and AJ

"And that just leaves you two. Since you havn't really stepped up, I'm assuming you don't really like guns, so I'll pick yours out for you."

After turning to the guns, Kris taken a few minutes comparing them, making a big show of it, before selecting two. A handgun and a rifle that both boys knew.

"These are the cream of the crop for my dads collection. You may already know them. The M16, and the Desert Eagle. I'll let you decide who gets what. For.. legal reasons my dad didn't make the desert eagle .50 AE, and it's probably the best, as the current functionality is .357 magnum, which has more shots in the clip. The M16 is the latest model, the M16A4, capable of different configurations for what you need it for, and capable of single or burst shot. For conservation and safety reasons, it WILL stay at single shot. I'll let you pick who gets what."

Withough speaking, Andrew grabbed the M16A4. It was a gun he idolized in video games, AJ knew, so it figures he would grab it. And that left AJ with the Desert Eagle. He picked it up, feeling the weight sitting idly in his hand and aiming it. Kris handed him the holster for it, which he then shown him how to attach to his hip. After AJ holstered it, he had the feeling it would be there for a long time.

"Ok then, I'll get everyone else equipped, I'll show you what you don't already know, and then we come up with a plan of attack."

The Military Troup

"Heh, so this is why you three were out and about this late. No matter, the guards on the wall were lax in their duties, so that yell of yours mightave actually saved the base, considering the damage."

"Yes, General Wattson." Dan said, while standing in the generals office.

In the aftermath of the attack, there were 23 dead, 59 injured,due to broken bones or friendly fire incidents, and 15 who were bitten on arms and legs and were in quarentine after their amputations. There is still a general inspection going on to check every serviceman and civilian who had contact with the zeds to check for unreported bites or infection areas.

Sam and Jill were in the office beside him, called in when the general found out the whole story.

"I'm honestly surprised that you kept this from me, it could contain very useful information, such as the location of supplies or survivor colonies the writer came across. Mind explaining why you did that... Especially you Uriler, being an MP officer."

"Well sir.. I didn't know whether or not it would be useful, as it was just a guitar case that I found. You had torn through me for going out of formation without authorization.. if it was useless, I was afraid of courtmartial or the destruction of the object in question." Dan answered.

Sam mimicked his response, with Jill having a blanched look on her face.

"Well, umm sir, I was unsure of how to approach the situation, as I had overheard them talking about it, with no evidence in question. If I had approached you beforehand it would have been my word against theirs, and also I did not know if it would be a harmless situation or a possible breache of security or quarentine of the base." Jill said, barely composing herself.

"God damn relax soldier, your not getting in shit for this. I don't care about the guitar, and bluntly I hardly care about the journal, as its the past and we need to focus on the now. However.. as we have had those journals prove useful to us in the past, I would like you to continue investigating it."  
>The general said.<p>

"Than.." Dan started.

"I wasn't finished." he said, giving Dan a steely glare. "As I was saying. I would like you to continue investigating it, BUT there will be a senior officer sitting in while you do. Also, I would like you to fly a team out to the spot where you found it. It's only been a day and a half, so there may be some survivors there for rescue, supplies we could use, or zeds for extermination. You will be doing that tomorrow, and the investigation of the journal will be after you return from the flight. Urlier and Timmins will be joining you, understood?"

"Yes sir" The three said.

"Good.. now get out of my office before I change my mind."

Outside the officers building, Jill and Sam started talking excitedly, wondering what was in the journal, if there was anyone at the apartment building who knew the writer, what kind of stuff they could find. Dan was just silently walking, thinking about who the officer that would be assigned to the investigation would be, and he got his answer.

"Excuse me, are you MP Urlier, Pte Timmins and Pilot Li?"

They turned and saw someone they didn't recognize.

"Yes, and you may be?"

The man looked very nervous, as though he was still new to the zombie apocalypse.

"I'm Maj Hank Jimms, and I'll be assigned to the investigation of that journal of yours.


	5. The Follow Through,  Part 1

The Military Troup

It was two days later, and the base had been fully recovered from the attack. Dan, Jill, and Sam were waiting in a windowless room inside the base, wondering just what was going to happen from here on. Dan himself was wondering if it wouldave been better to just leave the case on the roof, and he wouldn't be here, waiting on some random senior officer that he's never even seen before. Jill was wondering if she was in trouble, despite what the general said, Sam was thinking on when he'd be able to get back on the move. Since his times out in the world, he never wanted to be in one static place for more then two days at a time.

The door opened, and the three of them looked up to see Maj Jimms walk in. Despite the usual protocols involving a superior officer entering, they were waiting a good hour and a half, they were allowed a bit of leeway.

"MP Urlier, Pte Timmins, Pilot Li, I trust you slept well, despite the events of the night before last. We need to have full concenctration for this." the Major said, with an air of superiority around him, which Sam really didn't like.

"Look, I don't care what your rank is, but you can't take us from our jobs, stick us in a room for a couple hours,  
>then show up with a 'holier then thou' attitude. I didn't join up for that, and you god damn know it, as I can garuntee you've read my file, and know what I've been through." He snapped, fully expecting to get berated, but surprisingly Jimms looked rather pleased at the outburst.<p>

"And here I was thinking you 3 were just some army brats who just so happened to survive this shit. Now that the formal shit is out of the way, what do you think of this journal, can it be of any use?"

All he got were silent stares. Clearing his throat, he spoke again.

"Just so you know, I wasn't in the military before all this, I was drafted by a small outfit that survived out west, and we went from place to place trying to figure out a static living arrangement. None of them lasted, and our group grew to about half the size of the base's current population. We hit alot of pitfalls, and ended up having a group of about 20 when we made it here. I was the only origional person left, so when they were asked who the commanding officer was, they pointed me out. I was given an instant promotion, but after a "nervous breakdown" they put me on a desk job with the 'Internal affairs for civilian-military relations' and I kept up the act to stay inside the base. Cause after a good 8 months on and off the road? I don't want to be back out there with the zeds and the crazies. But that's beyond the point."

There were a few more moments of silence until Dan spoke out.

"Well, that's alot to swallow,' he said, with a look of interest on his face." your definitly not what I thought you'd be." He stood up and shook the Majors hand with a pleased look on his face.

"Well, with that behind us, let's get down to the work at hand."

AJ and Company

AJ was freaked out, very freaked out. He, Andrew, Tim and Theresa were hiding on a roof, looking at the very very large group of zombies that were camped out in between them and the convenience store where they knew there were survivors that needed to be saved, and supplies that they could really use. He could see the Beer store, and the truck that had smashed in the front window. He could still also see a group of the zombies eating what was probably the guy who tried to loot it, plus whoever else was with them, and probably a few employees too. What freaked him out the most though, was the gun that he felt on his hip, and the weight of the extra clips in the pockets of the vest that Kris had given him. That he had a gun with him, in public, shows him how much the world has changed, how the rules were just gone. You could literally do whatever you want, and as long as you didn't wind up dead, there were no consequences. After living with a father as a cop, that was exhilirating and terrifying.

"Ok, there they are."

AJ looked and saw Julie and Stuart approaching the crowd, yelling and throwing rocks. After a minute or so, they had the horde moving after them, and they headed towards where Kris was waiting with a car to give the two a rest, and keep the zombies chasing them, giving everyone else time to get the supplies and people back to the house, and get them secured. Or at least, that was the plan.

He looked at Andrew and nodded, with the other boy giving the sign to move out. Theresa moved into a position where she wasn't at risk, but could give firing support. Tim had his shotgun out, with a large knife in his one hand, in case he needed to defend himself without being able to fire. Andrew had his M16 in his hands, looking extremley uncofterable with the entire situation. AJ had an axe he appropriated from Kris' home, recently sharpened and ready to kill things with. He just hoped that he would be able to when the time came.

"Heads up!"

AJ turned and saw Tim stab a zombie in the head, and swing at another one, knocking it away, with a few more moving towards him. One crumpled, and without looking he gave Theresa a wave. Andrew held the gun tightly as he taken a shot, and hit it in the stomach, slowing it down but not dropping it. Tim was struggling with another one and yelled for AJ to help. Gulping, he ran in, flipping the axe to the back, and smashed one in the face, dropping it temporarily, and grabbed the shirt of the one that Tim was struggling with, and yanked back. What he didn't see was that the neck was bitten deeply, and the body came with him with the head falling towards Tim, who just got his shotgun in the mouth before it could bite down anywhere else. He dropped his gun, and stomped on the head.

"Ugh, I just got this gun, and now it's covered with zombie guts." Tim said with a sour look on his face, before he looked up to the last zombie being dropped by Theresa's rifle.

AJ looked down to the zombie whos face he smashed, it was crawling towards him. He heard Tim tell him to finish it off, and he lifted the axe to do so. He really tried to will himself to do it, but he just couldn't. Seeing the look on his face, Tim walked up, and stuck his knife in it's head. Standing up, he grabbed AJs shouldor, and looked him in the eye.

"You can't hesitate. You do, we die." Tim sternly said, with a look in his eye that made AJ afraid for what might happen to him if he did it again.

"Ok guys, lets keep moving." Andrew said, getting over his nerves and taking charge.  
>They moved along quickly, keeping an eye out for any more zombies that the diversion didn't draw away, hoping that Theresa had their backs covered.<p>

The Military Troup

"Thats good enough for one day."

Dan looked up at Jimms with a surprised look on his face. He'd only been reading for about a half hour before being interrupted. He marked his place and put the book back in the case.

"That was a short reading," Sam said, with a disgruntled tone in his voice," I was hoping we could at least get a paragraph in before we had to deal with beaurocratic bullshit." The dripping sarcasm showing that he still didn't trust the Major despite his history.

"Well, as much as I'd like to continue, we have other matters at hand." Jimms stood up, closing his notebook, and walked towards the door.

He stopped at the door, turned and said, "After all, we do need to go to that building and see if we can find any survivors, supplies, or anything else of import.

At that, he walked out of the briefing room, leaving Dan, Sam, and Jill sitting there, looking at each other in a mix of amazement, fear, and shock. After a minute or so, Jill spoke up.

"Well, thanks to that guitar of yours, we're gonna get our asses eaten."

She stormed out of the room, obviously angry at the situation she was in, with Sam soon following, with a shrug and an awkward smile, leaving Dan in the room alone, with the book, the case, and the guitar.

"Why the fuck did I have to notice this thing." He said aloud. then dropped his head on the table with a thud.


	6. The Follow Through, Part 2

It's been a long time I know.. But I'll try to keep updating as often as possible.

Enjoy boys and girls.

The Military Troup

"LI, TAKE US DOWN".

"AFFIRMATIVE"

Dan was back in the pilots seat, and despite his love of flying the helicopter, he was very apprehensive about the mission he's flying for, investigating an office building that may just be filled with undead hordes.. and what General Wattson is hoping, survivors and supplies. He had his doubts.

"ROOF CLEAR" he heard Sam yell over the sounds of the helicopter, him having the 50 cal machine gun trained on the roof, ready to rip apart anything that might show up. Dan moved the chopper closer, and with Majors confirmation, landed it on the roof. Turning off the engine, he looked out the front window at the soldiers fanning out, doing a twice over of the roof before standing at ease. On the right Dan heard gunshots, and looked to see one of the men taking out a couple of nearly completley ripped apart zeds. He just shakes his head any can't help but pity the poor people they once were... It's a horrible way to die.

"CLEAR"

"AFFIRMATIVE. Lets go Li". Jimms had stayed on the chopper, being the commanding officer in attendance.. And being a pencil pusher he wasn't exactly the one to go out and clear the roof. Dan unhooked himself and gathered his equipment.. Combat Knife, crowbar, his 9mm and the Remmington 1100 he was issued.

"Li, Timmons, get over here." Jimms said before lighting up a cigarette. "I want you two to stay close to me. You'll be my guards, and if need be backup.  
>Also, and it wouldn't be wise to let it get out, the General wants you two to be kept alive. Don't ask me why.. but he feels that the two of you are integral to this journal. So don't do anything fucking stupid."<p>

He flicked away the cigarette and ordered the men to move out. There were 5 other soldiers with them. Jill wasn't allowed to come, but she told them that if they don't come back she'll hunt down their zombified remains and string em up. Dan and Sam laughed about it until she threw a knife that stuck in the wall between them; Then they weren't laughing.. and Dan has a suspicion that his friend pissed himself, which he denies but he took a shower shortly after.

They moved in quickly and quitely, the men in lead having silenced weapons to avoid drawing undo attention to themselves. The stairwell was covered in gore,  
>with alot of dead zombies, and not quite dead zombies, littering the entryway. Finishing them off, they moved over the corpses and started on their way down.<br>They went down two flights, only encountering a handful of the dead, before coming the a shattered metal door.

'What the hell happened to this thing' Dan thought to himself as he went by it. It looks like it was torn apart by machine gun fire, but there was no way that the people here had that kind of firepower. And even if they did.. It looks like the door was torn open from the hallway. Maybe there was some infighting... But still. Something didn't seem right. He followed through the door and looked down the hallway. The soldiers were at the first couple doors,  
>opening them slowly. They came out and motioned Jimms, Sam and himself forward. As they moved further in, Dan noticed there were holes in the wall, like something punched a hole in it, some of which had blood in or around the holes. He shuddered, thinking about what could of caused that.<p>

Moving room by room, they came to another stairwell, and went down. They cleared two more floors unventfully before Sam spoke up.

"We should have found something, anything, by now. There aren't even any shell casings or bodies. This feels insanely wrong, and we should leave. Now."

Jimms just shot him a look that said shut up, and motioned the men forward. Dan noticed that they looked scared, hell, he was terrified. Every door they came across that blocked the way to the roof was demolished, wood or metal. And he kept seeing the holes in the walls. He breathed deep and followed through the latest door. This one was missing the upper half, said upper half was half-hanging out of the wall in the stairwell. This hallway was different. It was painted a thick red of blood, with alot of dead bodies. And with the dead bodies were alot of zombies, who noticed them come in, and got up nearly collectively with a snarl.

The men with the silenced weapons were doing their best but there were too many of them, they fell back as gunfire opened up. Dan fired a few shells at the pack. He seen Sam bull-rush in to take the head off of one that was about the rip the throat out of a younger solider with the butt of his rifle. Dan had to pull out his knife when he was rushed by a pair. he shoved the barrel of the shotgun in ones mouth, and stabbed the other one through the eye, before jamming the blade in the one's skull. He brought his shotgun to bear just in time to blow the head off a third that was too close for comfort. He ripped his knife out of the skull, and used the hilt to cave in the forehead of a child zed. Hearing a scream, he looked over and saw the young soldier Sam saved have his arm pulled off. He fired a shot at the zeds that did it, and called to fall back. Sam grabbed ahold of the wounded soldier, clearing away the zeds nearby before dragging him back to the stairs. The Major was posted there with what looked like a pair of farming sickles, but with with a hooked end and a strangely curved top. He waved the un-wounded soldiers back.

"LI GET OVER HERE AND HELP". He called before jumping into the fray and covering Sam and the young man. Watching him was like watching the grim reaper. Every swipe of his weapons killed one, sometimes two. Dan shook himself out of it to help bring the soldier in, and up the stairs.

"WE'RE CLEAR" Sam yelled down the stairs, and shortly Jimms appeared in the door, running from the pack of zeds that were following.

They got up to the next floor with the other men waiting, and the medic immediately started first aid on the wounded one. They bound his arm and prepped a cauterization kit to stop the blood.

"Hold in there son, your gonna make it out of this and get back to base. Just stay awake, ok?"

Knowing it was probably futile, Dan went to the door to see Majors at his bloody work again. He reloaded his shotgun and pulled out his crowbar. He was ready to jump in when he heard Jimms call out.

"Li you get involved in this I'm going to knock your fool ass out and have Timmins drag you back up those stairs."

He was gape mouthed at that. No one has ever turned down help against the dead that he's seen... at least not ones that aren't suicidal. He stood there with his weapons at the ready with an eye on what was going on with the wounded soldier... And he couldn't help but think of if AJ had to deal with something like this before.

AJ and Company

They moved closer to the store. Julie and Stuart didn't manage to get all of them to follow, so they had a couple dozen to deal with periodically, but they were able to deal with them quickly. Soon they were in front of the store, Tim and Andrew were keeping an eye out, and he seen Theresa moving to the top of the Beer store, somehow avoiding the attention of the ones still in there feasting. He looked over to Andrew and his friend nodded, gesturing towards the door. AJ went up and knocked, not knowing what to expect. He was still very surprised at the eye that appeared at a small hole near the door, taking in the scene before moving away. He heard people talking, and the sounds of stuff being moved from the door before the lock clicked open and he seen a short teen standing there.

"Hurry up and get in here before they come back" He said, looking around scared. Dan smelled something strange, and looked down to his hands, where he seen a lit joint. The guy noticed, and offered it up without saying a word. AJ shook his head, he needed his wits around him.

"Lets go guys" AJ said, leading the way into the store. Looking around, he seen a body on the floor, the head caved in, with both arms covered in bites. There was also another teen boy, the store clerk, and the driver of the truck filled with supplies outside. He heard a noise and turned to see the short teen lock the door and start piling stuff in front of it.

"HEY what are you doing. We're getting out of here now." Tim said, moving over and shoving the kid away from the door.

"No no no no no... Their coming back! Don't open the door please."

Tim just sneered. "Please, that pot is making you see things you druggie."

The kid jumped at him, and Tim smacked him in the face with the butt of his shotgun. Andrew moved over to help the kid and AJ drew his gun and pointed it at Tim's head.

"What the hell are you doing. We're here to help these people out!" Andrew said, shocked and angry. He got the kid to his feet, and AJ saw him spit out blood.

"No we're here to help ourselves to the supplies, and if they want to join us we'll help them. What kind of fairytale world are you living in?"

Tim started moving boxes from the door.

"It's survival of the fittest now. The ruthless and the strong survive. Everyone else is just fodder for these things." An evil grin popped on his face.  
>"Some of the others agree with me. And you'll need to see things our way or you'll just turn into fodder."<p>

He moved the last box and unlocked the door.

Andrew was barely able to hold the teen back at this point.

"Please don't, I don't want to die!"

He was close to crying. Everyone else was just prepared for whatever came. AJ turned and looked at the other survivors, they were all ready with a weapon.  
>'Great,' he thought, 'If there isn't a group of zombies outside the door, then we have a fight on our hands with the people we came to help.'<p>

The survivors tensed as Tim swung open the door. He smiled and turned. "See there isn't anything there. Stop bawling and lets get a move on."

The truck driver and the store clerk moved forward, eager to get somewhere safer. The other teen moved to who AJ assumed was his friend and threw him in a hug. They turned and looked at the body, and AJ realized that the body was that of a third teenager. He figured they were all friends. He moved over to them.  
>Andrew had a hand on the ones back, he moved over and squeezed the shorter ones shoulder.<p>

"It'll be ok, we're safe now".

Then he heard the scream and the gunshots. Tim and the driver ran back in.

"SHIT SHIT" Tim was yelling. He fired a couple more shots then slammed the door shut.

"Where's Mr. Yu?" The taller teen asked.

"He got pulled down by a group of them Habeel." The driver said.

The shorter teen fell to his knee's and just looked shocked. He pulled another joint out of his pocket and lit it up. He smoked some then looked at AJ.

"I thought you said we were safe... I don't want to die..."

AJ felt horrible. The teen just had a look of hopelessness on his face.

"We will be, don't you worry. We'll get out of this and we'll all be fine." Andrew said, moving to his knee's to hug the teen.

AJ relaxed, and nodded at him.

"I'm AJ, this is Andrew and the douchebag is Tim."

Habeel, the teen still on his feet, looked to him and shook his hand.

"I'm Habeel, but you can call me Habz. My friend here is Dustin, and this is Bill." He looked over to the body of his friend.

"And that was Josh... we were on a trip to visit a friend of ours in Toronto.. We decided to come up here to check things out while she was working... We were down the street when those things started showing up. We ran here and saw the driver was being attacked. Josh ran in to help him, and got bit so many times... When we got in here he asked us to kill him. So he wouldn't turn into one of those things... I had to..."

He was barely holding it together at this point, he was on the verge of crying. AJ moved over to him and put his arm around his shoulder.

"Hey it's ok.. you did well with that. I wouldn't want to be one of those things either."

Habz smiled at him, but before he could say anything Tim interrupted.

"If you fags are done with your little pow-wow, we need to get out of here. Theresa is still out there and we don't know if the others are alive or dead. We need to get as many of these supplies as we can."

Andrew and AJ looked at each other and sighed.. He was right. They needed to get out. Andrew taken the initiative. He helped Dustin to his feet.

"OK. Dustin, Habz, Bill see if you can find any duffle bags or backpacks or anything like that and start loading up food and stuff we could use. Tim stay by the door and yell if you need us."

"We'll look around, see if we can't find a safe way out of here." AJ said.

The Military Troup

"Ok we're clear"

Dan looked up. It'd been a couple hours since Majors had started his reaping, and it looks like he cleared out the entire floor. Looking behind him he saw the young soldier was breathing regularily, his arm stopped bleeding when they sealed the wound. Barring a serious infection he'd be fine.. although he wouldn't be out with the combat teams again.

Jimms came up to him, and seeing the journal open, smirked.

"Good read?"

Dan nodded, "Yah, but nothing to do with this building, or any other survivors. Just some stuff on that mission they were on."

He nodded, and went to check on the wounded soldier. His executive opinion was that they scrap the mission for now and report back to base until tomorrow.

Dan looked at the Major and wondered what the hell he was... He never seen anyone fight like that for that long. He looked over the railing at the pile of bodies there. He had to have killed at least 60.. maybe more.

"LI lets go. We do need you to pilot the helicopter."

He turned and smiled. He was liking this guy already.

"Yes Sir".

Hoped all of you enjoyed it. I enjoyed writing it, and I'm looking forward to adding more chapters in the near future.


	7. Mission End

OMG another update already? I must be crazy! Meant what I said last time :-p.

Enjoy, comment and review kindly :)

The Military Troup

Despite the plan to go back the next day, General Wattson decided that it was best for the exploratory team to sit out the next mission to the apartment building, opting to send a riot team instead. Jimms argued against it, but the General just shrugged him aside.

"There is no way in hell I'm sending men into that hole unless their properly trained and equipped. That young man nearly died, and we're up one more non-combatant. My orders are final."

"BLARGH"

Jimms was in the briefing room with Dan, Sam and Jill. They stood by the door, watching him rant and rave around.

"Now that we know that there are that many zeds in the building, we could easily have cleared it out without any more casulties..  
>AND we wouldave perserved the scene. That damn riot team is more likely to burn down the building then get anything of use.."<p>

Dan felt Jill nudge him, he turned and looked at her. She nodded towards Jimms, and nudged him again. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward.

"Major, there's nothing we can do about it now. We just have to deal with what happens, and if we get sent out again, there will more then likely be something that we can find out that will help us."

Jimms just looked at him with a look at was a mix of anger and shock, before calming down. He brushed back a lock of loose hair and closed his eyes.

"Your right Li... we should get to the matter at hand. Have you read anymore of the journal in the time between the mission and now?"

Dan shook his head,"I felt it would be better to leave it untill now. I filled you all in on what I read, so shall we start where I left off?"

Jimms nodded and moved to his seat, Sam and Jill moved to their seats, Jill giving him a smile. Dan was unsure of why.. but he liked that she did.  
>He taken his seat and opened up the journal.<p>

AJ and Company

"URGH... we can't be stuck in here. Isn't there a backdoor or something?"

Bill was raging, being too loud despite everyone trying to quiet him down.

"Will you be quiet.. we don't need them riled up anymore then they are." Tim said calmly from his post at the door.

The dead had been howling for them, trying to break into the store. They piled boxes against the door, with AJ, Habz and Dustin starting to dismantle shelves and other furnishings for a barricade, with Andrew sitting on the laptop on the counter, trying to get in contact with the others.

Bill was pacing in the middle of the store.. his hands on his head.

"Why does it matter.. we're going to die anyway. They're going to get in a..."

He was interrupted by AJ punching him in the face. The surprise of the punch knocked the man to the ground. He held his jaw in shock and looked up at AJ.

"What th..."

AJ grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him close.

"Cut it the fuck out. We're all scared shitless, but we're all helping. Your the only one doing nothing. Get off your ass and help."

Bill shoved the teen away, and stood up and got in AJ's face.

"The next time you do that I'm going to fucking break you kid. Who the hell made you boss around here?"

AJ shoved him back, "I did. And next time you do that I'm going to have Tim knock you the fuck out, we'll tie you up, and we won't untie you until we're about to leave. Gag included. Now. Go help Dustin and Habz with that shelving, and shut the fuck up."

At that the teen turned over and went to Andrew, leaving Bill sputtering and muttering.. but he went to help the other boys with the barricades regardless.

"How goes it?" AJ said, leaning up against the counter.

Andrew groaned, and smacked his palm against his head. "It'd be easier if this thing wasn't so crappy.. but it's also no ones online. If we had my cell, I could give Jill a call, but I left it at the house.."

AJ hit the counter, shaking it. "Dammit. We need a way out of here." He looked around to see if anyone was listening then leaned in.  
>"Was there any luck with the ladder?"<p>

Earlier the two of them found a ladder leading to what they assumed was the roof hidden behind a door in the back. AJ tried to get it open but it was either rusted shut or something was on top of it.

"What ladder?"

AJ said 'shit' under his breath then turned to look at Bill, who was standing there with a shelf in his hands.

"I said, what ladder?" The man said again, stepping forward with the shelf, his hands were white from gripping it, with the wood starting to break.

AJ sighed, "We found a ladder eariler, we think it leads up to the roof, but we're not sure. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to get anyones hopes up that it'd be the way out, plus we didn't need anyone obsessing about it."

"Is that why you have us doing this bullshit work?" Bill said, gripping the shelf harder.

"Yah.. when people are busy they aren't panicking. Now that you know, you want to work on that instead?"

Bill gritted his teeth and dropped the shelf, going to the back of the store.

Andrew breathed a sigh of relief. "Holy shit that was close to disasterous.. Fuck look at that shelf.. you were lucky man."

AJ was gape mouthed.. the wood had solid imprints of the mans fingers in them, the wood almost broken, with spots of blood.

"I think it's best if we leave him be for now.." He said after a minute or two, then looked up at Dustin, Habz, and Tim, the latter having a glower on his face, with the other two just looking shocked.

"You knew about a possible way out, and you didn't tell us." Tim said, gripping the handle of his knife. Andrew had his m16 in his hands, his finger on the trigger.

"Yah we did, we felt like it would be best if we didn't tell you because we might bring up false hope. Or it might bring in more danger. We don't know what's up there." AJ said, his hands in as non threatening a position as he could, even though one was near his axe sitting on the counter.

"What we did was best for everyone who's here right now."

"BULLSHIT" Tim yelled, pulling out his knife. "It's best for you to try to stay in charge here. But that's done. I'm in charge from now on, or I'm going to kill these pathetic shits here. I've killed before, don't think I won't do it again!"

His eyes were wide open, not believing what he just said. AJ picked up the axe, and gripped it. Andrew was pointing the rifle at Tim, ready to fire at a moments notice.. Or so AJ hoped.

"What do you mean... you killed before?" AJ said, barely holding in his rage.

"A.a.a.a..."

Andrew fired a round at Tim's foot, making the bigger teen jump. "Answer the damn question."

Tim stood silent, then shoved the knife back in it's sheath. He moved back to the door and sat down, before sliding the shotgun over near Habz.

"..It was back at the school, when we were running to the gym. This niner was in front of me, I don't even know her name.. I looked behind me after that kid James screamed when they got him, and saw how close they were. I was getting tired and I knew they would get me... So I..." He started crying, barely able to hold in the emotions,"I grabbed her by the hair and whipped her back into the one that was getting close. She screamed and I looked behind me again. They..  
>most of the close ones were either knocked down, or stopped and were reaching for her.. They were tearing her apart. Before I could turn back around I saw her eyes.. She was looking at me.. Like she was saying "You killed me.. you basterd. you fucking killed me..."<p>

Everyone was standing quiet. AJ and Andrew didn't even know how to process this. For their parts, Habz and Dustin were backing away. Habz had picked up the shotgun and was pointing it at Tim, his hands quivering. Without thinking, AJ moved over and put his hand on the gun, shocking Habz back to reality. He put down the gun, and handed it over. He taken it in hand, and moved over to Tim. He pointed it at his head.

"Why shouldn't I kill you?" He asked, his hand on the grip of the gun white as snow. He was shaking in anger, and he had no idea what he was going to do.

"There isn't a reason.. If you want to do it. If you don't, then don't. I don't care anymore." Tim said, looking up at AJ. He had tears streaming down his face, his eyes puffy and red already.

AJ hesitated. He had no idea what to do...

"HEY BOYS, I GOT IT OP..."

He turned around, and saw Bill standing there, his mouth wide open at the scenario in front of him. The teen turned around to look at Tim again.

"Fuck this shit... we'll deal with this when we get back." He turned and moved away from Tim, tossing the shotgun back to Habz. "If he tries anything..."  
>He looked back at Tim, then turned away, "Shoot him in the face."<p>

He went over to the counter, picking up the axe he dropped, and moved towards the ladder.

"Don't forget to grab what we might need for the moment, pack a few bags of food and we'll head out. I'm going to check out the situation up top, Bill come with me please."

Spechless, the man nodded and followed.

AJ gripped the axe in his hand while he climbed.. hoping he didn't make a mistake. When he got up to the roof, he did a quick scan of his surroundings. The thing blocking the door down to the store was a dead body, a really fat man, by the other bodies around him, it looks like the man killed everyone, then turned the gun in his hand on himself, sitting on the door before doing it. AJ checked the gun, but it was empty sadly. He slid in the back of his pants regardless. It never hurt to have a spare gun lying around, plus they might actually have the ammo for it. He heard Bill come up the ladder behind him.

He looked at him,"Take a look around, see if you can find us a safe place to get down. I'm gonna check for anything that we can use." Bill nodded and moved out. Through a few minutes of searching, AJ found another handgun, the clip half empty. He guessed they fought their way here. And considering the size of the fat guy, they found a pretty easy way up here. He also found a few bottles of water, and a bag filled with food. The sight of it made him smile, especially since there was a bag of Oreos in it.. He hadn't had an oreo since a few days before all this started. He opened it up and ate a couple before putting it back. He was rifiling through their pockets when he heard the others come up the ladder, and shortly after Bill yelled he found a way down.

"Hey guys, glad you made it out of there finally, I was wondering if you would ever manage to move gigantor there."

AJ looked up, and saw Theresa standing in front of him.. 'How in the hell does this girl do that..."

Not finding anything else useful, he turned to the others. "Ok guys, lets get moving. We can always come back for the truck. You guys should like the others,  
>their a nice group." Even though he said it.. he didn't believe it anymore. With Tim's confession, and with what he said earlier.. 'Some of the others see things my way'... He was unsure of who to trust now. But time would tell. Right now it was time for them to get back home.<p>

The Military Troup

Dan's reading was interrupted by the door opening. In came General Wattson, and a man he knew as the head of the Riot teams, a 5 foot nothing older guy by the name of Dawson.

Everyone in the room rose to their feet and saluted.

"At ease." The General said. "Dawson here just got back from the mission, and I thought you should hear his report. Sgt?"

"Sir." The man had the look of someone who's seen too much in all of this. His eyes were dead, with nothing left on the inside... the perfect man to lead the riot teams. From what same told Dan, when the riot teams were done a mission, there was very few zeds.. and sometimes humans, that weren't left in small chunks. They specialized in close quarters combat in heavy armor, practically impenitrable. Their weapons of choice were shotguns.. although most of them preferred the cruel blades that were welded onto the arms of the armor. They were made for clean cuts, along the same lines of a japanese katana, killing instead of maiming. They brutalized regardless.

"PTE, Pilot, MP, Major." The man looked at each of them in turn. "The mission was a total success. All zed activity in the building was eliminated, with no casulties." He looked at Jimms when he said this, Jimms gripping the pen in his hand so hard it broke.

"And due to orders, we have aquired seventeen civilians who were held up on the 14th floor. They are currently being given a medical and psychological evaluation, and will then be debriefed. Yourselves will be in attendance."

The General nodded at Dawson, and gave him leave to go back to his barracks. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"Despite what the Sgt's opinions on your mission were, you all did a great job. You held a clear head and, from what I understand, PTE Timmins, you yourself saved the soldier from being torn to pieces. Commendable. And Major, you proven your training to be very valuable. I salut all of you."

There was a collective 'thank you sir', from all except for Jill, who stayed silent and forlorn through it all.

"Since that's out of the way, I suggest you all get some sleep. The debriefings of the civilians we rescued will be at 0900. Dismissed."


End file.
